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 The Brazilian police, this Thursday, August 13, seized documents and computers during an operation against offices suspected of falsifying papers so that their clients could obtain a Visa to travel to the United States.
All the places raided by the police were in the vicinity of the US Consulate in São Paulo, which is located at 500 Henri Dunant street in the Chácara Santo Antonio's neighborhood. in the city's south side.
According to the São Paulo's Public Security Secretariat, police officers from the SIG (General Investigations Sector) holding warrants of search and seizure visited five offices of so-called despachantes (agents specialized in dealing with bureaucratic documents). Five people were arrested for further inquiries and interrogations.
Authorities say that the São Paulo counterfeiting ring, had branches in other Brazilian states. Police chief Paulo Pereira de Paula told reporters that the gang was very organized: "They had branches in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Santa Catarina and Paraná."
The falsifiers were being investigated for about a year. The inquiry started after the American consulate complained to the police that it had been presented with fake documents. "Some bearers of these documents were arrested red-handed," informed Paula.
The forgeries, according to the police, were of bad quality and easily detected by the US consular officers.
This is how the forgery scheme worked: people interested in getting a visa to the US would approach the counterfeiters who would them get them fake documents such as pay stubs, employment certificates and proof of residency.
In short, all the papers necessary to prove that they had enough interests in Brazil not to be tempted to become an illegal resident in the United States.
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